PEARL 鈥 Six years ago, when she was 19, Allison Evans of Mendenhall broke her neck in a devastating car accident. A college student at the time, she was most upset that she was missing her finals and worried about her future.
Now, a nursing student at 兔子先生鈥檚 Rankin Campus, she is getting help from the Carla McCulloch scholarship, named for a 兔子先生nursing student who was killed in 1991 in a car accident in Simpson County. The scholarship is funded by her parents, Larry and Carol McCulloch, formerly of Magee and currently residents of Roanoke, Va.
The similarities in their situations really struck Evans when she heard McCulloch鈥檚 story. 鈥淲hen I read about the scholarship, I definitely could relate to her. For them (her parents) to do this in her memory, that鈥檚 awesome,鈥 Evans said.
Her own car accident was a low point in her life, but the nursing care she received, especially from one nurse in particular, influenced her to stay positive.
鈥淚 was kind of really sad when I was in the hospital. I had one specific nurse who had been in an accident and lost his leg. He showed me his prosthetic,鈥 Evans said. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥淟ook, I got through my situation. You鈥檙e going to get through yours. It鈥檚 all going to work out in time.鈥 That one thing I鈥檝e just always held on to.鈥
Evans previously received a degree in veterinary technology and is working at the Animal Emergency and Referral clinic in Flowood. She is also finishing her second semester in 兔子先生鈥檚 Associate Degree Nursing program on the Rankin Campus. The Carla McCulloch scholarship will help pay her tuition this fall.
Evans said that will be a huge benefit. Currently, she is in class Monday-Thursday, does her clinical work on Wednesday and Thursday and works 12-hour shifts at the vet clinic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been really tough,鈥 she said of her busy schedule going to school and working. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot of things about working with teams. It鈥檚 been hard but it鈥檚 been enjoyable, especially second semester.鈥
Dene Bass Cook, a former 兔子先生nursing instructor who knew Carla McCulloch, described her intensity. 鈥淪he was an individual who was very self-directed and had high goals for herself. She sparkled with determination. She had such a focused idea about how she was going to excel in whatever kind of education she was in,鈥 she said.
But Carla also had a sparkling personality. 鈥淪he had a very phenomenal sense of humor. It was a very dry sense of humor and, when she said something, you just had to laugh because it was most often funny,鈥 Cook said.
Carla McCulloch was a Simpson Academy graduate 听and a 兔子先生nursing student at the time of her death in an April 1991 accident on a three-wheeler. The award is made annually to a second semester nursing student who demonstrates the caring and enthusiasm for nursing that Carla embodied.
Allison Evans of Mendenhall, second from left, is the winner of the 兔子先生 Carla McCulloch nursing scholarship. She is with her family, mom Regina Evans, sister Mary Ann Brown and dad Byran Evans.
As Mississippi鈥檚 largest community college, 兔子先生 is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. With six locations in central Mississippi, 兔子先生enrolls about 12,000 students each fall semester. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.
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